Audi PE celebrates legacy with racing legends

Oct 25, 2018

The Audi Centre of Port Elizabeth proudly celebrated Audi Motorsport in South Africa in a conversation with South African motorsport idols whose racing credentials Fuels The Passion and continues to create high octane torque amongst fans on Wednesday at the Audi Centre Port Elizabeth.

The evening explored the rich racing history and the entertaining, previously untold anecdotes from Audi racers – from the legendary S1 Quattro days to the current championships to how the technology is leveraged from the asphalt to the “Built for Performance” passenger vehicles.

Special guest speaker for the evening was South Africa’s Audi Sport Quattro icon, Sarel van der Merwe, or “SuperVan”, who enjoyed successes in the iconic S1 between 1981 and 1986 - Audi’s Quattro years, competed in the 24-hour Daytona (1984) and in Le Mans (1984 and 1986), having achieved third place on debut at the 1984 Le Mans. Interestingly, his father, Sarel Senior, had a long history racing DKWs, Porsches and he won an award from the Auto Union mother company in Germany.

Joining this iconic legend during the talks of the evening were other local home-grown legends such as Terry Moss, Simon Moss and Tschops Sipuka, while the Doyen of South African motorsport, Roger McCleery led the panel discussion.

“It is exciting to be back with the Audi brand after an 18-month break, I missed the products, the people and the sheer thrill of the industry. Being one of 10 Audi Sport dealers in SA, I am confident that, with the sporting prowess and new product proliferation in the next 18 months the Audi brand will continue to grow from strength to strength," said Audi General Sales Manager and Master of Ceremonies, Bjorn von Bochove.

"The thrill of meeting childhood racing heroes never gets old, and having Supervan, Roger McCleery and Tschops at our function last night was a real privilege.”

At the end of the evening guests were given a unique opportunity to raise their hands and make a difference through bidding for an original piece by a South African artist, painted on leather canvas, featuring Tazio Nuvolari driving the 1938 Auto Union. Proceeds from the charity auction will go to the Tavcor supported charities.